Symphony No. 2 for small orchestra, Op. 17 (1933) -Józef Koffler

Symphony No. 2 for small orchestra, Op. 17 (1933)

Orchestral Works, Work with Opus Number

Instrumentation: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, percussion, harp, strings

Manuscript of orchestral parts: Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine [Національна бібліотека України імені В.І. Вернадського] in Kyiv, call number: I 35970.

Premiere: Lwów, 19 January 1937 (concert repeated on 1 February 1937), conductor – Herman Scherchen (Gazeta Lwowska 1937, nos. 13, 17, 25)

Movements: I. Allegro moderato; II. Scherzo. Allegro molto; III. Andante cantabile; IV. Allegro con brio

I. Allegro moderato

II. Scherzo. Allegro molto

III. Andante cantabile

IV. Allegro con brio

Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, cond. Krzysztof Słowiński
Warsaw Music Encounters 2016

Koffler's Symphony No. 2,

the instrumental parts for which were discovered by musicologist Leshek Mazepa at a Kyiv archive more than forty years ago, has a four-movement structure that follows the genre’s classical models.

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony, Op. 17, mvt. IV, trumpet part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

The first movement is a sonata form (Allegro moderato) comprising development of both themes and a recapitulation that repeats the material of the exposition. Movement two, a lively motoric arch-form Scherzo, is followed by an Andante cantabile featuring contrapuntal texture and a recapitulation. The fourth movement (Allegro con brio) is a rondo (ABACABA) with a coda. Interestingly, the refrain’s twelve-note material encodes the popular song tune ‘Pije Kuba do Jakuba’ [Jamie Drinks to James], whose second phrase (played by the bassoon) opens the finale, while the first episode (B) is an imitative setting of another song, ‘Miała baba koguta’ [A Woman Had a Rooster] (in all the brass section, then in the flutes and oboes, as well as trumpets).

Visualization of the fourth movement of Koffler's Symphony No. 2 with encrypted popular melodies

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, French horn part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, French horn part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, percussion part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, percusion part, title page (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, percussion part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, harp part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, harp part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, clarinet part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, clarinet part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, flute part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, flute part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, trumpet part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, trumpet part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Symphony No. 2 Op. 17, violin part, cover of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Shelf mark: I 35970)

Józef Koffler, Second Symphony Op. 17, mvt. I, violin part, first page of the manuscript (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Call number: I 35970)